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Geek Mom Media - Conscious Consulting by Julie | I offer small business a professional way to get their startup on the web at a reasonable rate. Stay Connected with geekmommedia on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram

Did you know a good landing page could increase conversion rates up to 300%? Then why are you still sending people to your website homepage rather than sending them to targeted content via a landing page? I can help you put together the perfect strategy for your small business and determine how you can use a landing page to increase conversion. Give me a call and let’s talk.

Original infographic provided by dotmailer.com London Bridge, England. If you are in need of email marketing solutions give them a look.

Gibbs Rules #1

“Never Screw Over Your Partner”

Originally airing February 6, 2007, the NCIS episode Blowback, is the eighty-fourth episode of the NCIS series. The first of the ‘duplicate rules’ appears. Whether the original rules 1-3 are Mike Franks or ‘Crime Scene’ rules has many NCIS fanatics wondering and scratching their heads. Also appearing in this episode is Jethro Gibbs Rule #4 “The Best Way To Keep A Secret? Keep It To Yourself. Second Best? Tell One Other Person – If you MUST. There is NO Third Best.”

Season 4, Episode 14 (Blowback)

In this episode of NCIS we are first introduced to they mysterious arms dealer René Benoit, alias La Grenouille (“The Frog”). NCIS captures an international arms dealer, named Lisack and is preparing to extradite him to Zaire as a favor to Mossad. In exchange a valuable piece of intelligence is to be traded, which will help both the US and Israel.

After the team realizes in order to stop the deal from going ahead, they must send an undercover agent into play, that someone is Ducky! Other implications soon appear that the infamous La Grenouille, has ties to Director Jenny Shepard. Apparently she has been obsessed with bringing him to justice for over ten years as she believes he is responsible for killing her father and making it look like a suicide.

Tune in to more NCIS: Gibbs Rules, each week, to find out more about the next Gibbs Rule.

What Are Gibbs Rules?

Gibbs Rules are a set of rules that govern Jethros code of conduct, both professionally and personally. In the first episode, Yankee White, we are given the first three rules; we learn later they are most likely Mike Franks rules as duplicate rules one and three are introduced in future episodes. Gibbs Rule two has yet to be revealed. A conversation with Ziva David, in Season 3, episode Silver War Gibbs indicates it’s his job to teach her, the approximately 50 rules. As time goes on we learn his rules are scribbled on scraps of paper and kept in a small tin at his home, although we rarely see the tin.

As indicated byNCIS Wikiait was revealed in the last few minutes of the Season 6 episode, Heartland (episode) that Gibbs’s rules originated from his first wife, Shannon Gibbs, where she told him at their first meeting that “Everyone needs a code they can live by”.

The only rule of Shannon’s personal code that is quoted is either her first or third: “Never date a lumberjack.”

We have come to learn there are actually more than 50 Gibbs Rules, as Rule 51 : “Sometimes you’re wrong.” and Rule 69: “Never trust a woman who doesn’t trust her man.” have both been mentioned. Over the years Tony, Timothy McGee, Abby Sciuto and Jimmy Palmer have all developed at least one personal rule of their own.

Season 1, Episode 1: Gibbs Rules (Original Rules 1 – 3)

During a flight on Air Force One, a Navy Commander collapses and dies after having lunch with the President of the United States. After continuing developments occur, NCIS is forced to work with Secret Service Agent Caitlin Todd; they eventually take over the investigation after landing in Wichita, Kansas. What looked like a simple death by natural causes escalates as another player is found dead in his car. It soon becomes apparent that a murder plot on the President by any means necessary is developing.

During the ensuing investigation Kate confines three plane stewards in the press cabin, which presents the first opportunity for Gibbs to tell Kate two of his important rules which are: 1- Never let suspects stay together, and 2- Always wear gloves at a crime scene. After a meeting up with Dr. Donald Mallard, the NCIS Medical Examiner, to discus some discrepancies in the time of death, Gibbs mentions Rule #3 – Don’t believe what you’re told: double check. Kate sarcastically asks him if she should write the rules down in her Palm Pilot or crochet them on pillows.

After people continue to get sick with what appears to be the flu, a long, frustrating and tumultuous investigation Gibbs drops the terrorist ready to kill the President just as the Secret Service arrive, guns drawn, to the Presidents room. Due the fiasco Kate resigns her position as a Presidential Secret Service agent, because it’s the right thing to do. Gibbs agrees and then tells her if she pulls that crap at NCIS, he won’t give her a chance to resign. Kate wonders if that’s a job offer.

What is a Social Bookmarking?

Social Bookmarking enables users to add, share and store links to their sites via the internet. When creating your bookmark you ‘tag’ them with appropriate keywords which enable users searching for those to find you!

Many sites are free; others charge minimal fees and most require you to register to add your website to their list. Social Bookmarking sites are frequently used by SEO experts for search engine optimization, improving website ranking in search engine results (SERP) and traffic indexing new websites. This is a great way to create high quality backlinks, increase Google PageRank and Domain Authority for your new website they can also help reduce your bounce rate.

Looking to increase your brand awareness? Then try some of the more prominent and popular sites; Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr and Reddit then check out my list of 25 top Social Bookmarking sites for 2016 below.

DoFollow vs NoFollow

Follow Link: Links (inbound hyperlink) that points to a URL giving that page SEO ‘link juice’ or Google ‘points’ that increase the authority of that page. (i.e. If a lot of people are linking to this page, it must be a great page, so we’ll boost search engine preference.

No Follow: Links (with the ‘nofollow’ attribute included) these links do not add ‘points’ for SEO results. Why would you want that? In a perfect world spammers would never consider “black-hat” tactics to increase their share of ‘link juice’ right? Wrong! To help even out the playing field the ‘nofollow’ attribute was born, automatically showing up in links placed in Comments, Forums, Paid Links and Google ‘untrusted sites’. WordPress automatically adds this attribute to user-submitted links and Wikipedia’s does for their reference section as well.

Caution: As in all things, do not spam (create multiple links for the same site), use only high quality trusted social bookmarking sites when you create the backlinks to your website.

Creating Searchable Social Media Profiles

When thinking about creating your Social Media profile there are two search possibilities you will want to consider. Google search and each of your social channels are the main areas you will want to maximize for profile search-ability. After all, you want people to find you, right?

Included here I’ll share some tips on where to use keywords in your social profiles to help make it easier for you to be found.

Let’s take a look at Google Search first.

Example Google Search | Geek Mom Media

Usually, but not always, there are 3 things you can control in a Google search result for your business or website, social profiles and pages. They are the title, URL of your page and last the description.

The first thing someone sees in a search result is the title. Generally it is recommended to keep your title between 50-60 characters in length for SEO page requirements.

Your URL will appear on the second line, below the title of search results. For social channels, the URL is normally listed as the social media domain, followed by your username.

Descriptions are generally taken from the meta name “description” in your page source and are limited to 155 characters in length. The description for Geek Mom Media reads: Geek Mom Media wants to help you succeed, in your small business, by doing the geek work so you don’t’ have to. Affordable rates for home based business.

Note: Google won’t index anything that isn’t publicly viewable, that means it must be available on your public profile. You will also need to be logged out completely to see what your profile or page looks like.

Let’s take a look at some specific Social Media Networks and how to best optimize your profiles.

Facebook Page

On a Facebook Page you’ll see something like this

Example: Google Search for Ford on Facebook

Search results on Google show the Facebook Page name, Location, number of likes, and number of people talking about the page.

The first option for a search for Cars will give you any page that listed Cars as a subcategory, main brand or product category associated with the page shown in the drop-down menu. Should you press enter after your search vs reviewing the drop-down you’ll notice options for search results under the menu:

Top, Latest, People, Photos, Videos, Pages, Places, and More

Example: Search for Cars on Facebook

Tip: Local Business Owner pages will appear under Places based on proximity to the person searching and your page category. Be sure to place your keyword in the subcategory.

Key Points: Where possible include a keyword in your Page’s name and be sure to include keywords in your page’s subcategory.

Twitter Profile

Most Twitter profiles in a Google search will include your profile name, username (@username), number of followers, number of photos, videos and number of tweets. Occasionally you’ll see one that pulls the bio or lists the username (@username), URL and a couple of your latest tweets.

Example: Ford’s listing for Twitter on Google

Tip:Look to see what your profile is actually pulling from Twitter before proceeding to change your bio and including keywords.

Again, Google will rank keyword searches higher for names and @usernames that include that keyword. The example we’ve been using is “cars”

Example: Search for cars on Google

When searching on the Twitter network, profiles related to the keyword will appear in your results. They do not need to be included in the name, bio or username of the account.

Key Points: Include any keyword in your name or @username where possible if you want to appear in Google searches for that keyword. To appear in searches done via the Twitter network include those keywords in text content; it doesn’t hurt to also include it in your name , bio and @username.

Linked In

Once again, when you include a primary keyword in the Company name of your page you may rank higher in a Google and LinkedIn searches.

Key Point: Where possible include a primary keyword in your Company listed page name.

Instagram

Profile name, @username and bio are used in a Google search result.

Tip: Including primary keywords in your bio can help to increase your results.

Pinterest

Profile name and description are used in a Google search result.

Tip: Include primary keywords in your name and description can help to increase your results. Boards with primary keywords will also appear higher in search results.

Final Take Away

Knowing the general semantics of how profiles and pages work in major social networks can help your search rankings. When configuring your other Social Network accounts, use the same type of logic. In looking at Google+ and YouTube, both being optimized via Google will place higher in a Google search when a primary keyword is included in the page name or channel name. When naming uploads for YouTube include primary keywords in video names as well.

Tip: It is kind of a no-brainer, but many times it’s not possible to include a keyword in your name or username because of your specific branding needs. Including them in your bio, first paragraph and other text can help.

There is! It’s called IFTTT, and they have all kinds of recipes for Social Media Marketers!

IFTTT (IF This Then That) can help you streamline your posting, save you time; it’s almost like having an assistant! IFTTT is like a restaurant, were you have your own private chef!

Check out the Channels tab to see which Apps, Social Media Channels or other online Accounts you can connect and create recipes between , You can also connect your channels here as well as listings of popular recipes for various apps with Triggers and Actions available.

Glossary:

Channels are apps and social channels IFTTT can be configured between.

Triggers are acts that take place to start the process for your recipe.

Actions are things you program, after a trigger has taken place, to complete the desired process.

IFTTT Recipes

There are a ton of pre-made recipes to choose from or you can create your very own. Best of all it’s totally free to use this service and automate your tasks between various apps and the social media networks you use. With so many options to choose from, it is hard to put everything in one short post.

Here are the basics.

Step 1) Sign up for a free account

Step 2) Browse through existing recipes

Look through the various areas of the listings for Recommended, DO and IF recipes others have created. You may find exactly what you need here.

or

Step 3) Create your own

This is a long process, where you select IF Triggers Channels, Triggers, Trigger Fields, Then That Action Channels, Actions, Action Fields and Create your Recipe. Due to the varying possibilities for each Channel I’m not going to go into too much detail just give you a high overview of how the process works. The options you have are limited only by the selections you make from the choices available. In this example I’m using Instagram and Pinterest to create a recipe to automate posting.

To Create Your Own Recipe

1. Go to the My Recipes Tab

2. Select Create a Recipe

3. Click on the this (see image below)

4. Choose Trigger Channel

I selected Instagram. If this is the first time using IFTTT and you have not previously connected your on-line accounts, you will have to connect your Social Channel to your account, giving IFTTT permissions at this time.

5. Choose a Trigger

I selected New Photo by Specific User. Triggers available will vary depending on the channel you selected in step 4.

6. Complete Trigger Field(s)

In the item selected the trigger field is the Instagram Username.

7. Click on the that (see image below)

8. Choose Action Channel

In this example I selected Pinterest. Scroll through the options or type in the channel you are looking for.

9. Choose an Action

In my example there is only 1 action available, to post to a board. Actions available will vary depending on the channel you selected in step 8. In this example only 1 action is available for this channel (Pinterest).

10. Complete Action Field(s)

11. Create and Connect

12. Recipe ID

Your recipe has been created and is ready to use. Test it out, then publish for others to use if you desire. You can turn off any time you like. Recipes you have created or are using will show up in the My Recipe tab when signed into your account.

IFTTT helps you streamline social media tasks without the tedious steps involved. Let technology do the work for you and see what IFTTT tasks you can automate in your social media posts now and don’t forget to share your favorite recipes.

IP-rimer: A Basic Explanation of Intellectual Property

I highly recommend this article if you use the internet! It’s a Must Read primer about Intellectual Property, Copyrights and Trademarks by Will Frank, a licensed Lawyer in the state of New York. Very informative and helpful. Check it out and follow us on Medium today!

“Maybe it’s a matter of knowledge bias, but I usually wince when I see a discussion of intellectual property online. At best, people make mistakes. Only natural, nobody’s perfect, but we can strive. At worst, people completely misunderstand every aspect of the topic. And this is a topic that comes up a lot online, after all.

So I thought I’d set the record straight with a set of essays discussing the topic, in a hopefully entertaining fashion, to improve understanding” Will Frank Read More…

I’m sure you’ve probably heard of Landing Pages, but why do you need them? You have a website, right? Well, maybe not according to Yodle.com 52% of Small Businesses don’t have a website! So how do you handle online marketing, where do you send your customers? Facebook Pages can only go so far. Or, maybe you don’t think you can afford a full-fledged website and have never heard of a Landing Page. Let’s talk about what they are and how you can use them.

Landing Pages are simply a website that includes all the information your customer needs in one place. A one page website if you will. It may have different sections showing what you offer, photo galleries, contact forms, and news. They can be of any length necessary to get all the information you need to someone visiting your site.

Here are 5 types you should consider using

1. Focused Mini-site Page

As I mentioned earlier, over HALF of the business in the US don’t have a website. There are over 22 billion people on the internet and having a web presence is a fundamental necessity to success in the 21st century! Your customers are much more likely to trust your business if you have a website or landing page. Many professionals recommend never sending your social media traffic to your main website, but rather a focused landing page where you can easily interact with your visitor.

What’s holding you back?

Building individual pages from scratch can be expensive and time-consuming. You need to have knowledge of Web Design, you need to have a separate URL and hosting site.

Is there a less expensive path?

Choose a theme from one of the many sites on the internet and have your Web Designer do the work for you. You’d then host it on the same site as your website and you don’t need a separate Domain unless you really need to have one. Template sites typically have loads of themed pages to choose from based on your business type or for specific themes you like.

2. Launch Page

Whether you use Facebook posts, advertise in a local magazine or local online marketing site you are sure to need some sort of press release for new products or ideas that you are offering new & existing customers. A launch page can be a great solution to do just that!

A Launch Page Can:

Assist you gather email address for products you are about to launch

Be an enticing place to showcase special product offers and services

Other Benefits:

They are usually shorter in length than a regular landing page

Typically focused on one specific product or service

Easily convert potential customers

3. Event Page

The importance of drawing a crowd is still of extreme importance to any small business effort.

Whether it’s a meeting, conference, job fair, or other type of social gathering an Event Page can help you draw attention to your special occasion. They can also help appeal to people that are interested in what you have to offer. Using this type of page in conjunction with your social media marketing efforts can greatly enhance any business event.

4. eBook Page

It doesn’t make a difference what type of business you have; eBooks are a big draw and strong marketing tool. Free giveaways can be essential to assist a mom & pop brick-and-mortar store become profitable on the internet. Some ideas might be, how to manuals, do’s and don’ts for fashion trends or consumer tips for your industry. Online businesses regularly use eBooks as a valuable marketing tool to build email lists and sell more products or services.

5. Contest Page

Many times contests are used to increase email lists by offering something in return for potential customer contact information. Having a central location to drive traffic can help you execute your giveaway and give credibility to your campaign, solving the many issues of “how do I hold a legitimate contest?”. The simple “do this and get that”, on Facebook, often falls short of the goals you are shooting for. Try using a landing page for your next giveaway.

How Else Can I Help?

Ideas may be spinning in your head right now! You’re probably thinking of various ways you could use one of these pages for your business. I’d love to discuss potential ideas and help you come up with some solutions that can help grow your business. Either leave a comment below or use the form on my contact page to drop me a note.

Every business should have an active presence on multiple social media channels. Learning how to manage your social media platforms should be core for focused new business owners and marketers.

Different networks can be challenging and time plays a huge factor in selecting the right management tools for your business. The correct tools can help you reply to messages; monitor your social channels, schedule posts and monitor analytics from one place.

Selecting the correct tool can be daunting when you are getting started; there are certainly plenty to choose from. I have listed some of the top user selected platforms to highlight; many have free as well as paid versions depending on the features and benefits that are important to you. Check them out and decide which works best for your needs.

“Social media is here. It’s not going away; not a passing fad. Be where your customers are: in social media.” by Lori Ruff. (@loriruff)

With its high user ranking, Hootsuite gives you the ability to interact with 25 social networks from a single dashboard. A great all around tool if you’re interested in engagement, publishing and workflow features, managing campaigns and viewing analytics are other pluses.

Start your free trial with AgoraPulse if you are looking for a tool to help manage your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Features include; Facebook Applications, CRM Software and Analytic Reports. You can easily run contests and comparisons to your competitors. Never miss interactions with inbox media alerts.

Post to multiple social channels with Sprout Social scheduling. Pull messages into a single inbox and manage multiple profiles at the same time. Sprouts user-friendly format helps users collaborate with other team members too! Strong analytic reports include message performance, demographics data and community growth.

With Sendible you can easily manage comments and posts from Facebook, Twitter and Flickr in one place. Prioritize important mentions and analyze messages requiring attention quickly. Engage with your online community to track your social media and email messages to measure the success of your campaigns.

Are you all about monitoring your online content? Then check out Mention’s advertised “Never Miss a Thing Online” promise. Built to make sifting through online content easy, sharing quick and team collaboration simple; analyzing social data couldn’t be easier.